Sunday in the BCHL…
Some big games hit the ice Sunday as the BC Hockey League wrapped up another weekend.
On the Mainland… The game of the night was in Surrey, where two division leaders met as the Eagles hosted the Vernon Vipers. The story of this was one goaltending, as Vernon goaltender Mark Sibbald (pictured) turned aside 45 shots for the shutout in his team’s 1-0 win, snapping the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak. Kurtis Colling’s powerplay marker midway through the third period stood up as the winner, as the Vipers withstood a late Surrey surge. Eagles’ goaltender Aaron McKenzie stopped 26 shots in the loss.
On the Island… The other marquee match-up was in Nanaimo, where the Chilliwack Chiefs were the visitors. Clippers’ back-up goaltender Simon LeBlanc was the star in this one, stopping 32 shots for the shutout in a 2-0 win, and also picking up an assist. Michael Olson and Brennen Francon had the goals for the Clippers, who moved 12 points clear of Alberni Valley in the Island Division.
In Duncan, Alexandre Gagne picked up five assists as the Cowichan Valley Capitals downed their division rivals from Powell River by a score of 7-1. Geoff Kinrade and Joey Hughes had two goals each in the win as the Caps broke a third-place tie with the Kings in the Island Division.
In the Interior… Mark Soares had the overtime winner as the Coquitlam Express salvaged a win out of their three-game Interior road trip with a 4-3 victory over the Millionaires in Quesnel. Alan Mazur added three assists for the Express, who moved three points up on Langley for third in the Mainland Division. Ryan Kindret had a goal and an assist for the Mills, and was named the game’s first star.
Les Reaney took back the BCHL scoring lead, picking up two goals and adding two assists – pushing his season total to 39 points – in Williams Lake’s 4-3 win over Langley. Josh Murray picked up three points in the win for the Timberwolves. Rob Pritchard and Brian Harris kept up their hot play for the Hornets in the loss. Pritchard had a pair of goals while Harris had two assists.
In Trail, Jordan Collins and Jesse Newman had a goal and an assist apiece as the Smoke Eaters knocked off the Merritt Centennials 4-3. The win, the second in as many nights for Trail, moved the club to within four points of third place in the tight Interior Division.
Saturday in the BCHL…
Six games hit the ice on Saturday night in the BC Hockey League.
In the Interior… Leath Gare and Chris Stevens did their part to make sure the Prince George Spruce Kings held onto at least a tie for top spot in the Interior Division, combining for seven points in their team’s 4-3 win over the visiting Langley Hornets. Gare had two goals and an assist, while Stevens pitched in with two goals and two helpers. Graham Sheppard had two goals in a losing cause for the Hornets.
In Salmon Arm, Ben Street had a four-point night, and team captain Bryn Gagnon had two goals and an assist as the SilverBacks maintained their grip on third in the Interior Division with a 7-4 home-ice win over the Merritt Centennials. Blair Riley had his team-leading 14th and 15th goals of the year for the Cents.
Justin St. Louis scored his second goal of the game 3:37 into the second overtime as the Trail Smoke Eaters picked up a 4-3 win over their division rivals from Penticton. The win moved Trail to 16 points to the year, tied with Merritt for seventh in the Interior Division, and just six points back of third-place Salmon Arm. Kyle Jones had a pair of assists for the Smoke Eaters. Jordan White made 43 saves in the Vees’ goal, albeit in a losing cause.
The Williams Lake Timberwolves jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead before holding on for a 6-4 win over the Coquitlam Express at the Cariboo Memorial Complex. Josh Murray was the offensive star for the T’Wolves, picking up five points, while Les Reaney and Steve Van Oosten had three points apiece. Matt Allen had two goals and an assist for the Express.
On the Island… The Vernon Vipers kept pace with the Spruce Kings in the Interior Division, scoring a big 6-3 road win in Victoria over the Salsa. Dean Strong picked up a hat trick in the win, while Reed Kipp had three assists. Adam Naglich continued his strong play for the Salsa, scoring twice.
Derek Janzen was the story as the Chilliwack Chiefs picked up a 5-3 road win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The 18-year-old goaltender turned aside 44 shots as the Bulldogs outshot the Chiefs 47-21. Chris Eppich had a goal and two assists in the win. Rob Woods and Jordan McIntyre had two-point nights for the Bulldogs.
Friday in the BCHL…
There were seven games played tonight as the BCHL moves into another busy weekend.
In the Interior… The Prince George Spruce Kings pulled themselves back into a tie for top spot in the Interior Division with a 4-0 shutout win at home over the Coquitlam Express. Kevin Petovello’s goal just 17 seconds into the second period stood up as the winner as Brandon Highton kicked aside all 32 Coquitlam shots for his second shutout of the season.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks picked up a huge overtime win in Penticton as they dropped the Vees 5-4. Trevor Geiger scored the winner for the SilverBacks. Geiger, Tyrell Mason, Ryan Duncan, and Evan Barlow all enjoyed two-point nights for the ‘Backs, who now sit alone in third spot in the Interior Conference.
In Quesnel, the Langley Hornets defeated the Millionaires 8-5. Rob Pritchard scored four times for the Hornets while teammate Brian Harris notched five assists to help pace the Hornets to victory. Andrew Rebus turned in a two goal, two assist performance for the Millionaires.
On the Island… The much anticipated battle between the Nanaimo Clippers and Vernon Vipers is in the books as a 4-1 win for the hometown Clippers. Rylan Burns and Michael Olson each had a pair of assists in the Nanaimo win. Sebastian Nolet stopped 25 of 26 shots in the Nanaimo goal to record his 11th win of the season.
The Surrey Eagles are enjoying overtime on the Island as they backed up last night’s overtime win in Powell River with another tonight in Port Alberni as the defeated the Bulldogs 4-3. Tyler Eckford scored twice including the winner to lead the Eagles. With the win, the Eagles continue to lead the Coastal Conference by two points over the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Cowichan Valley Capitals used home ice to defeat the Victoria Salsa 5-3. The win moves the Capitals into a tie with Powell River for third spot in the Island Division – four points back of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Alexandre Gagne and Joey Hughes each notched a goal and an assist for the Caps.
In Powell River, the Kings fell to the visiting Chilliwack Chiefs 4-1. KC Stahlberg scored once and added an assist to lead the Chiefs. Goaltender Derek Janzen turned aside 29 of 30 shots to record the win.
Thursday in the BCHL…
Andrew Kozek scored the winner 3:16 into the second overtime as the Surrey Eagles fought back from a 2-0 first-period deficit to score a 4-3 road win over the Powell River Kings. The goal was Kozek’s 17th of the year, tying him with Trail’s Kyle Jones for the league lead. Cody Rymut potted a pair of goals for the Eagles, and set up Kozek’s game-winner. Dustin Claffey had a goal and an assist for the Kings in a losing cause.
